Independance
by I'll do my best
Summary: Long after the rein of the sky witch and the coin-bomb was detonated a girl was hit by a bus and stole some of the light, on the way to Everlost.  After being saved from sinking by a colonial boy she becomes his friend and ally in strange time indeed.
1. Chapter 1

**Independence**

**Prologue **

To most the incident was slightly traumatizing. Seeing a teenaged girl crushed beneath a tour bus on a class trip usually is. She just happened to be a little too nervous that her group would miss their scheduled tour time in Independence Hall. Even though the group told her to calm down, her manic anxiety got the best of her and she jolted across the street without looking. Her death was quick, unceremonious, and almost painless. When the bus finally passed her body lay in a disgusting mangle on the street and no one would even dare touch it.

The girl however was in a much different state of mind, when she died, then those around her. In fact she was in a different place entirely. She was floating down a dark tunnel closer and closer to a glorious light. Half way to the light she realized something.

_I'm dead! This is the light!_

Her sheer will power and fear made her stop. A million thoughts ran through her mind at once. She always had faith in God but never had much faith in herself, at least not enough to guarantee her self into heaven. She also wondered if she could come back to life simply by flying the other way. She came to a decent decision: Fly as close as she could to the light stick her hand through, and then decide if she wanted to go through. She followed out on her plan well until she stuck her hand into the light. She moved it around nervously and grabbed some of it in a fist. The light's reaction and being grabbed so forcefully scared the girl all the way back down the tunnel.

She fell to the ground losing her short-lived ability to fly. The whole world around her seemed to shake with shock and the piece of light she had stolen. Suddenly a wave of fatigue washed over her. Her dimming eyes scanned the area until she saw the brighter then usual image of Independence Hall. She staggered closer and closer to it until she lost her footing on the sidewalk. She was too tired to even contemplate going on and she fell into the ground. Just as she was about to lose sight of the light a pair of arms reached though the cement to help her up. They were strong and steady and covered in something warm. She muffled a 'Thank you' into the person's soft shirt as she fell asleep.

**Greensoul**

Yellow watched the greensoul with intensity. It was the first time he had kept time in over fifty years. It had been nine months exactly since he had saved the girl from sinking into the sidewalk in front of his home. He had nine months to search the girl's pockets and steal something of hers but he couldn't bring himself to even touch her. The fact that greensouls didn't have an after glow had always worried him. He was the xenophobic type, who never made friends in Everlost, he never found anyone he could trust. In recuing this girl he prayed that he would find a friend or at least an ally.

Suddenly her skin started to glow ever so slightly. Her eyes snapped open and she shot up in place looking around with great curiosity. Asher eyes met his she blushed.

"Um, hi," she said. "Did I pass out?" She asked Shyly.

She put her chin to her chest making her dark eyes seem larger then life, she seemed almost as if she was trying to hide in her own sandy hair.

"No," Yellow said, "You died, you were hit by a," He paused to think of the name of the vehicle, "bus! You were hit by a bus!" He said smiling to himself over his knowledge of modern technology. Just because he was dressed for the seventeen hundreds didn't mean he had stay there.

She cocked her head and stared at him.

"So the light wasn't a dream?"

"Nope!" He said happy with her composure. Even he knew how hard it is finding out that you're dead.

"How long have I been," She hesitated saying the word, "dead?"

"Nine months! I counted to the second! It's the first time I've kept the time in years!"

"No," she said, "I can't be dead, Independence Hall is not where you go when you die, you're just playing a trick on me, I'm not gullible any more." She said shaking her head.

"But it's true!" Yellow said spreading his arms wide. "And it's not as bad as you may think!"

"I'm not dead!" She said putting her arms up in a defensive position, "And what are you a reenactment person?" She said gesturing to his cloths.

"No I'm not, I died in this I can't change it! Just like you!"

She looked down at her wardrobe. She was wearing simply warn jeans and a purple-based flannel shirt that was unbuttoned displaying a pretty dark blue tank top.

"Could be worse," She shrugged. "Could look like you!" She snickered.

He grew frustrated.

"You want me to prove that we're dead! I'll do it! Follow me!"

She hopped off the table she had been sitting on and followed him out into the hallway.

A group of people went down the staircase following a park ranger. Yellow raised up his fist ready for the park ranger to come down. The girl just sat there watching in shock as the park ranger passed through Yellow's fist.

"So, we are dead." She said her voice fell flat. "I suppose, I suppose this couldn't be all bad." She said contemplating the situation. "At least I don't have to go to school right?" she said, smiling. She shuddered at even thinking of all the stress school had created for her. "And are there are no rules here?"

"None at all!" Yellow said nodding his head.

"This is actually, a great thing!" Said the girl. "No more stress no more people depending on you!" Her face brightened up even more, "Call me Ollie!"

"That's an odd name," he said.

"I hate my real name I want it gone!"

"Are you sure?" He asked, "most afterlights would do anything to remember their names, I forgot mine who knows how long ago!"

"What's an afterlight?" asked Ollie.

"That's what we are! Because we glow, like lights!"

She examined her arm more closely.

"Oh yeah, I see it!"

"Yes, it's quite interesting! But we're getting off track, welcome to Everlost! The land between the physical world and the light! The wonderful place where no grownups can boss us around or make us go to school or tell us to behave!"

"Amen to that!" She yelped putting her hand up to high five.

It took Yellow some to realize what she was doing until he recognized the gesture and returned the high five.

"So it's just us here? Or are there others?" She asked.

"There are other children here, they are not easy to trust though."

She nodded her head, "I understand, its like high school with out the learning!"

"Exactly!" he smiled.

She thought for a minute about things she could say to continue the conversation.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Yellow." He replied, shyly.

"Is it because of your eyes?" She asked equally shy.

"Yes, I died during the epidemic."

"You died of the fever?" She asked, full of intrigue.

"Yes, I died of yellow fever in seventeen ninety-three."

"That is so cool!" she said inching closer to his face.

He had always hated the sickly yellow that covered what was once the white part of his eyes. They reminded him of being alone and unable to help himself.

"That is way cooler then being hit by a bus, by far!"

"It wasn't very cool at the time." He said as he leaned up against the wall digging his face into his collar.

"Oh! Sorry! Sorry! Hey," she said observing his action.

"How come I remember sinking into the ground out side but not in here, and how are you leaning up against that wall?"

He jumped up off the wall and looked back at it.

"Oh, we're in a vortex, it's a place that exists in both worlds. Also, another place that's solid is a dead spot, something that people cared about a lot that got destroyed."

"That's cool," Said Ollie.

"Yeah, vortexes also change afterlights, I'm not sure how this one affects us though."

"When did you come here?" She asked.

He thought for a while and sat down on the stairs. Another group of people came down the steps and Ollie giggled as they walked through her.

"I don't know" He said into his scarred hands, "I'm not here all the time though, I have some friends who will only meet me outside of here."

"What are their names?" Said Ollie, full of interest.

"Freak, and Rumor."

"They sound awesome! Can I meet them?"

"Yes, eventually but first stop breathing, it's annoying me and you'll make Freak cry."

"Okay," she said warily.

Her chest froze she seemed nervous at first but when she realized she could live without it she was happy.

"Okay!" she said careful not to breath, "Let's go meet your friends!"

**Mutter**

Ollie was frowning on the walk to the Mutter museum. Everything was fuzzy and the sun just didn't feel the same. The sounds were muffled but audible. Every once in a while she would see a dead spot she saw more and more as they entered the more historic part of the city.

"I hate seeing the city like this." She said flatly. "It's so colorless,"

"You get used to it, " shrugged Yellow.

The walk became awkward so Ollie tried to start a conversation.

"So, why 'Yellow' and not 'Fever'. Fever is so much cooler, not that Yellow isn't cool." Said Ollie cautiously.

"Not enough people are as educated as you on the subject."

She tried again.

"So, have you ever met any of the founding fathers?"

"Personally no, but I've seen a one."

"Really! Which one?"

"Benjamin Franklin, I saw him once when I was nine."

"You're so cool, Yellow!" She said trying to take him by the hand.

He shook her off.

"Why is that?" he asked eyeing her suspiciously.

"Because you're like, living history!"

He glared at her.

"Well maybe not living but, you're here right?" she shrugged, "You could give me a first hand account of what it was like during the epidemic!"

"I rather not!" he snapped.

"Sorry I forgot you were touchy on the subject." She said sheepishly.

There was an awkward silence.

"I hate sinking into the ground." She complained trying to change the subject.

"You get used to it." He said flatly.

As much as she hated the sinking and the colorlessness and building hunger there were a few things that she was happy with; The first thing she was satisfied with was the first thing she had noticed waking in Everlost, Yellow, she had already formed a firm crush on him. He was blunt and honest and she loved that she didn't always have to guess what he was thinking; on top of that he was pretty normal looking not to pretty not to scary just her type. Another thing she loved was the fact that she didn't change, if there was one thing that she feared it was change (in fact she feared many things which raged from acrophobia to zelophobia, most of which were self diagnosed) she loved the fact that she never had to change or grow old. (Which connected to her self diagnosed greontophobia). Another thing she liked was that she would never have to be called 'Penelope' ever again. The one thing, though, that enchanted the most was the ability to move through solid objects, who wouldn't want to do that?

"We're here." Said Yellow coolly.

"Finally! Another vortex! This is a vortex right? They didn't take down the Mutter Museum did they?"

"Nope, this is the vortex of pride and beauty, believe it or not."

"What does it do?" Ollie asked with extreme interest.

"It makes afterlights increase their greatest, or at least what they think is their greatest, feature tenfold. The only problem is, it eliminates some less savory features of an afterlights looks or personality, depending on the person, it can make them pretty boring."

"Have you been in there before?" she asked nervously.

"Yep, I went in there a few years after it opened, I noticed it made me less lonely for some reason. I just didn't want to talk to people that much anymore, but even I got bored without anyone to talk to." He shrugged.

"Is that why you saved me?" she asked nervously.

He thought about it for a second.

"Yes, that is definitely why I saved you."

_Score!_ She thought.

The walked into the old creepy museum pushing right through the visitors. The rough hard wood floors creaked even when a weightless afterlight walked upon them.

"Freak lives down here," he said as her began to quickly drift down the stairs into the depths of the exhibit.

The museum of medical oddities seemed like the perfect place to house a ghost, especially one named Freak. The skulls and petrified body parts were creepy but the scariest part, to both Yellow and Ollie, were the plaster molds and photographs of the horribly deformed people. Yes this was definitely a prime haunting place for a ghost named for its freakiness.

"Freak! Freak?" yelled Yellow, "Freak I know you're in here come out!"

A muffled noise came front behind a displace case. Not the faded noises of the physical world but and Everlost noise.

A young boy about the age of twelve with shaggy brown hair popped up from behind the display case. He was imitating the act of breathing heavily when he lost his footing and fell back wards and onto the floor.

"Christ, Rumor stop breathing you'll make Freak all mad." Said Yellow.

A young girl the same age as Rumor also stood up from the behind the display case. She had beautiful brunet locks that fell to her midsection she was dressed in a hospital gown that looked more like a long tee shirt.

"I'm really trying to deal with it, Rumor always forgets and when you see him so often, I just really want to be able to live my after life with it." She said sweetly.

She noticed Ollie and ducked back again behind the display case.

"This is my friend, relax Freak." Said Yellow.

She stood up and shyly shook hands with Ollie.

"My name's Ollie, and you must be Freak." She said.

"Yes and that goof over there is Rumor."

"How'd you get your names?" asked Ollie nervously.

"Well, " said Rumor, standing up, "I'm very good at finding out what's going on all over Everlost! They call me Rumor because all few Philadelphian afterlights know that I am the most accurate source of information!"

"How many afterlights are there in Philly?" Asked Ollie to the whole group.

"Well there's us," Rumor paused to think, "and two vapors, you know, groups of afterlights, who are constantly at a pointless war. Although, lately most of them are headed to New York for who knows why."

"I thought you said you knew everything." Said Ollie slyly.

"Well I know the Sky-Witch used to live in New York, but she was defeated some time ago by the Chocolate Ogre, The McGill, Allie the Outcast, and a few other legends. Any way I never wondered why because New York sucks and Philly rules, it's as simple as that."

"Hell yeah!" Said Ollie as she high fived Rumor.

Freak glared at them before she interjected.

"Look at why they call me freak!" she said as she showed Ollie her tentacle-arm.

"Gah!" Yelped Ollie. "Is that how you died?" she said in shock and disgust trying in vain not to stare at it.

"No! No!" said Yellow "We all just look how we remember ourselves, some people can just remember them selves different and belike shape shifters, that's what she is!"

"Oh, okay!" Said Ollie with relief watching her tentacle turn back into an arm. "This place just keeps getting cooler and cooler!"

"You ruined it!" pouted Freak.

"Yeah, there are other cool powers too!" said Rumor enthusiastically, " ecto-ripping, skin-jacking, and some lesser known powers like unremembering, and the hypnotism powers of the Sky Witch!"

"How can you learn these powers?" asked Ollie.

"You can't learn how to skin-jack or ecto-rip it's something you die with, but shape-shifting is something that takes lots and lots of practice." Said Freak smugly.

"Well I guess I won't learn to shape-shift since it seems to be your 'thing'" Said Ollie.

"What do you mean by that?" said Freak accusingly.

"It's the thing that makes you fell, you know," Ollie thought for a minuet, "Special, the thing that you think makes you different." Said Ollie trying not to be persecuting.

"Oh," said Freak, not quite sure how to respond.

There was an awkward silence that was interrupted by Rumor, as it happened he hated silence.

"So you're a greensoul!" He said gently nudging Ollie.

"Yep! I'm a total noob at this afterlight thing!"

They all looked at her curiously making her blush.

"What?" she said sheepishly.

"What's a 'noob'?" asked Rumor.

"Oh! It's short for newbie! When did you guys die? You both look pretty modern."

Rumor had to think about this for a little bit so Freak happily took his place.

"I died of polio in the fifties!" she said almost excitedly.

Ollie was almost shocked. She was a bit of a history buff and looked into polio, and the pictures she saw were not pleasant. This girl however, was perfect and beautiful.

"I looked much different back then, then I do now." She shrugged.

"I was killed by some drugged up driver, sometime in the mid seventies I think. I don't remember that well." Rumor shrugged, "Besides, I live here now right?"

Ollie nodded in response.

"I was hit by a bus nine months ago, not that interesting!"

Ollie noticed that Yellow was getting bored. She herself was getting annoyed with the way Freak carried herself, she always did have a problem with confident people.

"Yellow, I'm tired, can you take me home?" She feigned.

"Nice try, afterlights don't get tired, we don't need sleep." He scoffed.

She rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I'm bored can we leave?" she asked with a hint of cynicism.

"Gladly." He said with a sly grin.

"Well I'll see you later guys!" waved Ollie as she ascended the stairway back into the lobby.

Ollie followed Yellow out the door and into the night. She relaxed and put her hands into her pockets and smiled. Feeling around in her pockets she found her phone and her ipod. She smiled and turned to Yellow and asked.

"Hey if I have like an electrical device in Everlost does it ever run out of battery?" she asked.

He thought about this for some time and then responded, "No, I don't think so."

Ollie nodded her head satisfied. Then she remembered her breast pocket in her flannel. She reached into it feeling around for her packet of gum. It was there just haw she'd left it; key lime pie flavor, slightly melted. As she went to grasp it her fingers brushed a cool smooth surface. She reached for the surface and pulled out a coin.

"Must have forgotten that I had this." She guessed.

As soon as Yellow saw the coin he grappled at it.

"Hey get off!" Ollie giggled. Grasping the coin as hard as she could.

"Is the coin warm?" asked Yellow intently.

"What kind of question is that?" She laughed as he continued to attack her for the coin.

"Just tell me!" he groaned.

"No it's cold! Jeez!" she said pushing him off her.

"Okay," he sighed, "Just keep it away from me." He said in disgust.

"Eye, eye, captain." She said rolling her eyes. "Everlost is weird."


	2. Chapter 2

**Ecto-Ripping **

"Please!" Ollie whined as they passed a restaurant by the name of Day by Day. The grilled chicken sandwich that Ollie saw would not leave her mind.

"I'm so hungry!" she moaned.

"Aren't we all." He said sarcastically.

"I just want to go look at it! Then I'll try my best never to even think about food again!"

"Fine!" he groaned, "You are such a brat!"

She blushed and mumbled an apology which he ignored as she started her awkward sink-run to the restaurant. She burst through the doors and into the dining room where she hovered over a young couple that was talking about the latest Lady Gaga dress. The girl was extremely skinny so it didn't surprise Ollie much that she had ignored her grilled chicken sandwich. Ollie reached out longingly to try to pet the sandwich but her hand went right through it.

"Oh." She sighed, as if her last hopes had been crushed.

She glanced over at Yellow snickering in the thresh hold of the restaurant. Her face turned to stone. She would not be embarrassed in front of this cute boy again. She mustered up all her will power and frustration to make the sandwich come to her. To her extreme surprise while she was glaring at yellow the feeling of a bun brushed her fingers. She yanked her hand back in fear of the sandwich, which she had fully expected to go right through.

"Do it again." Yellow said firmly with the authority and determination of an insane dictator.

Ollie nodded her head in quickly and with much enthusiasm. She concentrated on her hand and grinned as it started to glow a light blue and seem to tear a hole in the fabric of time it's self. She watched her hand close around the warm sandwich and quickly pulled it back into Everlost.

"You did it!" said Yellow excitedly but he soon stopped his celebration after he saw the troubled look on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"As much as I should be happy about this sandwich there's just something wrong feeling about taking it from the real world."

"Are you guilty?" asked Yellow.

"I don't think so." She said, "at least not to the girl, I just don't think the universe likes it."

"It'll get used to it!" he said patting her on the back, "you're an ecto-ripper now!"

She managed a smile and then chomped down on her newly obtained sandwich, savoring every bite. She glanced over at Yellow who was clutching his stomach and felt bad for him and guilty for not offering him anything sooner.

"You want some?" she asked, her mouth full.

"How about you rip me something of my own?" he suggested.

"Okay," she said warily, "What do you want?" she asked.

"Anything! I don't care, I haven't eaten in centuries!"

Although she was scared of the wrath of the all mighty universe, she was also afraid of failing to impress Yellow. Her afterglow flashed purple for a second before she suppressed it. He caught a glimpse of it and found it awkward and strange that this girl he had met only a few hours ago was already showing signs of affection for him.

She dove into a convenience store and he followed behind excitedly, for his first taste of food in over thirty years.

"Have you ever had a Twix Bar?" she asked knowingly.

"No, what is it?" he asked.

"It's like a cookie and chocolate and caramel and awesomeness." She said rambling off ingredients as she searched the shelves up and down. "Here!" She said reaching for a king sized Twix Bar and forgetting that she had to Ecto-Rip. "Whoops! I can be like that a lot!" she said chuckling.

She ripped out the candy bar from the shelf.

"Here you go!" she said proudly handing it to him.

"How am I supposed to eat this?" he asked.

"you open it." She said condescendingly.

"Like, rip it?" he asked.

"No, feed it to a badger, of course you rip it open!" She said sarcastically.

"You dumb ass!" he laughed, "Things don't break or tear in Everlost unless they're supposed to!"

"Oh." Said Ollie defeated. "Well, could you try?" she asked hopefully.

He tugged on the wrapper for a full minute.

"Nope, it's meaning is to keep the candy bar fresh."

"Well give it back to me!" she said yanking the candy bar from his hand. "I can put stuff back right?"

He shrugged in response.

"Might as well try." She said.

To Yellow's amazement she succeeded in ripping the candy bar back into the living world and reaching her other arm through to open it. He then looked up at her face and noticed that she was extremely distressed by the act he had asked her to commit.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

She had no response and it worried him.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked again louder, fighting to urge to pull her back.

She pulled the Twix bar now unwrapped back through the tear in the universe and offered it out to Yellow. All thoughts of consoling her immediately left his mind as his hands grasped around the chocolaty goodness. He shoved the candy into his mouth chewing it greedily and tossing the delicious cookie pieces around on his tongue. He finished it within forty-five seconds a record that many would be proud of but he had no time to feel proud. He looked up from licking his fingers and saw that Ollie had disappeared.

"Ah-ie?" he called through his chocolate laden mouth. "Ollie!" he called once again after he had swallowed the last of it.

Amazed at how fast she could run away with out a trace he began jogging down the isle calling out her name.

"Ollie, I know you're in here, stop being ridiculous and come out."

He jogged back down the same isle and suddenly his ankle met with an Everlost object and he fell face first into the dirty tiled floor. As he pulled himself out he realized that what he tripped over had been no object but a half sunken Ollie.

"C'mon really?" He said reaching a hand down to help her up.

She just looked at him with big scared eyes.

"You're not gonna make me carry you again, are you?"

She shook her head solemnly as she worked her self out of the ground and stood up on her shaky legs. They walked out of the store solemnly and without a word. Yellow found the silence maddening and tried to start a conversation.

"The night is beautiful." He said pretending to gaze up at the two visible stars.

"I'm playing with things that I shouldn't be playing with." She said shaking her head. "The universe or god or the flying spaghetti monster or something was screaming at me."

It felt strange and unnatural for both of them to be in such an emotional situation but Ollie let her feelings get the better of her, something she was not known to do very often.

"Well, other Ecto-Rippers seem to live with it just fine." He shrugged trying to give her advice.

"I know but," she stopped.

There was a long silence between them.

"But what?" he said inching closer to her.

She swallowed.

"I'm so scared." She started trying to hold back tears but a single one escaped and slid down her cheek. She whipped it away with great force and anger. "I'm so sorry!" she squeaked. "You saved me, and introduced me to your friends and told me all this stuff I need to know and now I'm just crying and bringing you down! I'm so sorry!" Her strange apology was only making her cry harder.

He stood by awkwardly as she collapsed to the ground.

"C'mon you're sinking." He said sympathetically.

"I deserve to sink if I ruin your good times!" She wailed.

"No, no." he said as he bent down to pick her up.

When he picked her up her afterglow flashed purple again this time for longer before she could repress it. She dug her face into his coat and muffled another halfhearted apology.

"Stop saying that I don't know what you're sorry for." He groaned.

"Okay," she paused, "Sorry."

He dropped her.

"Just stop!" he yelled. "Why are you apologizing for something I did!"

"Okay! Okay!" Wiping tears from her face. "Let's just pretend this never happened."

"Why?" he hissed knitting his brows "I pushed you to do it! You weren't ready I see that now! Stop pretending this is your fault!"

"You didn't push me to do anything." She said in all honesty.

"Well I" he paused thinking about whether he should tell her about how an afterglow can display an afterlight's mood, "I'm good at reading body language, and I knew how much you wanted to impress me. I took advantage of you." It was better for him that she didn't know.

"I should just leave you, you've been so nice to me and I just can't replay it all." She grumbled as she tried to stand up.

He had no reply until she started walking away.

"Hey come back!" he yelled.

"Spare me your manners, I know you were disappointed with your plan to gain an ally. I'm not as strong willed and down to earth, as I would like to be. You made a mistake by picking up some overly emotional bland as paper loser that no one wants to be around. I just don't want to drag you down." Her afterglow had completely dimmed. "You're just so cool, I couldn't bare the thought to disappointing you. Ask your self, do you really want me around?"

He looked at her in all pity. She really did believe that she was useless and unwanted, just because she cried over something he would never be able to feel. He couldn't leave her here like this, his conscious wouldn't let him.

"Just come home with me." He said reaching out his hand.

"Okay," she said bowing her head.

He walked in front of her the whole time trying to resist looking back as if it would break the spell of the moment. Finally he looked back at her and in her sorry state he couldn't help turning the rest of the way around and hugging her. Her face lit up as if she had just seen a miracle preformed. She was unsure of how to react but decided to take a risk, and hug him back.

"I don't deserve this." She mumbled into his coat.

"So?" he said back in a smooth and sure voice.

They walked the rest of the way back together in an awkward but caring embrace. As they approached the great building illuminated with the crisp light of a February night. She said something that seemed to make it all okay.

"I really am dead, aren't I?" she said sneaking a peek up at Yellow.

He had no words.

**Sam and the Ferrari**

Yellow and Ollie slept that night just to pass the time. Ollie, unlike Yellow, was a very light sleeper and awoke immediately upon hearing the roar of the engine of a sports car. Ollie was already half awake from the July sunlight streaming in through the windows but the sudden sound of a roaring engine made her jump off of the bench that she had fallen asleep on. As she landed on the ground the lack of pain that she had discovered the night before made her smile, it was always the little things that did. She ran up to the door and flung it open to see an Everlost cherry red Ferrari shooting down the Everlost cobblestone street. As it was early in the morning (eight o'clock) for her she didn't know what to think of this strange car that was getting closer and closer. As it came within a few meters of Independence Hall the driver slammed on the breaks sending a deafening screech echoing through the air. Ollie's eyes widened as the cute blond ten-year-old driver stumbled out of the beautiful flawless car. He was dressed in a black formal suit and was wearing the most expensive looking sunglasses she had ever seen.

"Um, hi." She said to the little kid.

"Hello fellow afterlight!" He said enthusiastically, "You need something?"

"Um. No?" she started, "Wait! Yellow might need something, let me get him!"

Ollie turned around to run back into the building only to find that the grumpy looking Yellow had already been woken up by the screeching brakes of the car.

"Who's this," he moaned.

Ollie turned around and yelled at the kid, "Hey who are you?"

He rolled his eyes, "I'm Sam, I'm a finder. What are you a greensoul?"

"Yes." She giggled.

"We don't need anything." Said Yellow bluntly.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Sam, egging them on.

"Yes." He said, "My friend and I are fine."

"Are you sure? You haven't even seen my stuff!" he said with a desperate squeak in his voice.

"I'm an ecto-ripper, so, yeah I doubt you have anything we can't get." Snapped Ollie defiantly.

This outburst confused Yellow. Last night she was in tears about the wrath of the universe and now she was telling off a finder with her power? It just didn't add up.

"Really? You're a great and powerful ecto-ripper huh?" Sam said sarcastically.

"Yeah really." She groaned, "Why would I lie about something like that!" In truth as soon as she said it a multitude of reasons flowed into her mind about why she would lie about it, but she didn't dare bring them up.

"Prove it." Said Sam defiantly crossing his arms.

Ollie's eyes widened. She expected fully to use her power again in the future, but not so soon. In fact she thought over it intensely the night before and vowed to use her power again, but maybe not so soon.

"F-fine." Ollie stammered. "In fact I'll ecto-rip something to trade you for that car!" Ollie said becoming more accepting of her choice. "What do you want?"

"Uh-uh princess. You're not getting my baby, she is not for sale." He chuckled.

"Fine! I'll do it anyway!" she yelled.

She violently ran across the street miming her last act before she died and fell to her knees on the grass.

"I hope you're watching!" She yelled back at Sam who was following up behind her.

"Ollie," Said Yellow nervously.

She took a deep breath and with out thinking plunged her hand through the rip and tore out a handful of grass and some soil as well. She successfully repressed her crushing fear and shook her way awkwardly out of the ground. Sam was genuinely surprised that she wasn't lying and Yellow was anxiously waiting for her to break down in tears again.

Ollie rubbed the grass into Sam's face defiantly and he pushed her back. He was much stronger then he appeared sending Ollie falling into the earth and flailing to get back up. In an awkward crab walk she regained balance and stood back up.

"Okay, so you are a ripper, now you can get something for me." Sam scoffed crossing his arms.

"In exchange for what?" She asked suspiciously.

"You pick, my stuff's in the back of my car, any thing but the car it's self."

"This is pointless!" moaned Yellow. "We can already get what ever we want!"

"There's no harm is just seeing what he's got." Shrugged Ollie.

As it turns out there was harm.

As She Leaned into the back seat of the sleek sports car she felt a fancy shoe force her backside further into the car. Her face slammed up against the window and she heard the door close behind her. _Well fuck_ She thought. The boy, Sam was much stronger then he looked.

She turned around pushing Sam's collection of various items to the side yelling obscenities as she tried to yank open the locked door.

Yellow was chasing Sam around the side to the drivers seat but as it happens years of finding had made Sam a formidable runner. As he slid into the front seat Ollie wrapped her hands around his throat attempting to strangle him.

"Are you serious?" He said glancing back up at her.

"Oh yeah." She giggled.

"Hey you little bastard let me in!" Screamed Yellow as he repeatedly yanked at the door.

"You know I can't be forced to ecto-rip," She said while wrestling Sam in the front seat, "just let me out this is pointless."

"That's not what I need you for." He grunted struggling to shove the key into the ignition while keeping Ollie away from the door-unlock button.

In the end Sam, having more will power and there for being stronger then the will powerless Ollie, was successful in flooring the speeding fast car down the old cobblestone road. After this Ollie back off, terrified of being trapped in the car while sinking to her doom.

Ollie thought back to all the things she had been taught on how not to be kidnapped. Most of which were useless in the situation, but she had remembered something her parents would often say to her when she was younger and hopped up on sugar.

"If any one ever kidnapped you we can rest in easy knowing they would return you out of sheer annoyance."

Ollie's only defense in the situation was to be as annoying as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

**Not alone anymore**

"And why should we help you?" Said Freak condescendingly from on top of a display case.

"Because you owe me one!" Said Yellow again.

"I don't owe you anything." Said Rumor relaxed.

"No you're right you repaid that debt when you got me that deck of cards." Sighed Yellow.

"Why don't you just do it yourself?" Rumor asked in all sincerity.

"I tried! I ran after the car but then I lost sight of the speedy bastard. Then I just had no idea what to do. If I could do this myself trust me I would but I just don't even know where to start!" Yellow groaned.

"Why don't you just let her go? You only knew her for how long, a day?" Said Freak crossing her arms.

"You know I can't do that." He said solemnly, "I'd feel too guilty if I didn't even try. Besides, it doesn't matter why I'm doing this you still owe me for bailing your ass out of the fire when you stole that chicken from the Mermaids."

"Who knew those girls could be so vicious!" Said Freak defensively.

"Either way it was their chicken to eat and you had no right to steal it!" Stated Yellow.

Yellow yanked her down from off the display case by her foot and as she landed on the ground her legs buckled under her and she fell to the floor.

"Rumor! Help me!" She groaned, frustrated.

As he helped her up she grew to match yellow in height and then kept growing until she was a full head taller then him.

"You dare challenge me!" She said in a new demonic voice.

"Yes, I do. You don't scare me in the least." Growled Yellow.

Rumor came up between them pushing them away from each other and laughing nervously.

"C'mon guys! We don't need to fight over this! It'll be quick we'll run up to New York grab her and come right back!" Said Rumor.

"How do you know she's in New York?" Said Yellow and Freak in unison, as freak shrunk back now to normal size.

"Well going northbound on that Everlost road you wont pass many towns and wont get further then New York." Stated Rumor.

"You see! The furthest we could go is New York!" Said Yellow, relived.

"It's not how far we go that worries me, it's what's waiting for us at the end." Said Freak.

"That's why I need your help! Rumor knows where to go and if we meet some dangerous afterlights at the end of the road you can just beat them up or something!" Said Yellow.

"Beat up? How am I supposed to beat people up if they can't feel pain?" Said Freak sarcastically.  
>"Ok whatever! Just give them a good scare or something! You have to repay me either way." Groaned Yellow.<p>

Freak sighed.

"Fine I'll go with you, but if we don't find her in time don't go blaming me!" Freak groaned.

"One, I would never blame you for anything your not to blame for and two, I wont have to blame you for anything because we are going to find her." Said Yellow.

"Well if Freak's going I'm going too." Chimed in Rumor, "I can't have you two getting lost!"

"Okay, so it's decided! All three of us are going to find Ollie." Breathed Yellow.

"So what now?" Smirked Freak.

"I don't know but I will find out!" Exclaimed Yellow.

**Road Trip**

"Shut the hell up!" Groaned Sam.

Ollie had been screaming at the top of her lungs for an hour without stopping. She was delighted to know that she never had to pause to take a breath. Even she knew that when she started talking she rarely wanted to stop.

"Let me out!" She said slyly.

"Never!" Said Sam letting the "er" noise drag on comically long.

Ollie then decided that simple annoyance wouldn't work.

As a child whenever she was held captive in war games she would taunt her guards for hours on end. The taunting got so unbearable that at times guards would just let her leave. Most of the time though, they turned around and socked her in the nose.

"What's with the fancy dress? Die on the way to a wedding?" scoffed Ollie.

"During a funeral actually." Sam Smirked.

Ollie was interested.

"Really? That's ironic! How?"

"Sea food allergy that I didn't know I had. My older cousin made me eat it." He shrugged.

"I think I'm experiencing death envy." She groaned.

"How'd you get offed?"

"Ran across the street without looking and got hit by a tour bus." Ollie sighed.

They sat in silence for a little which for Sam was a welcome change, and for Ollie was extremely unsettling.

"So if you don't need me to rip, what do you need me for?" she asked.

"There's a bounty on your head." He grinned.

"_My head!_" She said, a little to happy for some one who was being hunted down.

"Don't get too excited, it's not for you specifically, just any ecto-ripper." He scoffed.

"Oh, hey were are you taking me?" She asked.

"The Twin Towers." He said as if it was no big deal.

"The World Trade Center is here?" said Ollie.

"You're a greensoul aren't you?" He said.

"Yep, green as could be."

They rode on for twenty more minutes in silence.

"Now that we've had this bonding experience," Said Ollie disrupting the quiet, "Can I leave?"

"No."


	4. Chapter 4

**The search begins **

Yellow laid out on the hard Everlost cobble stones looking up at the peaceful sky above, while Freak and Rumor argued over whether to keep going or not. Yellow didn't have any concern for this argument, no matter how stubborn Freak could be she would always bend for Rumor. Yellow knew how madly in love they were with each other, he'd always grin at the thought of them trying to keep it a secret.

"I'm telling you, we've been at this for three hours now, we're just not gonna find her, she's lost!" Said Freak throwing her arms up into the air.

Yellow groaned at Freak's resistance and turned to face them.

"You guy's think I should change my name?" He said calmly with a soft smile on his face.

"What?" they said in unison.

"Yellow's been good for me and all but I think Fever gives me, I don't know, a more intimidating sound!" He said, more to himself then the others.

"Yellow, keep going or go home?" Asked Rumor.

"Whose idea was it to come out here in the first place?" Grinned Yellow.

"It's agreed, we keep going." Said Rumor.

Yellow got up off the ground a followed Rumor and Freak as Freak grumbled about wasting time to which Rumor kept replying too with the fact that they had infinite time.

The day turned out to be crisp and bright as they slowly left the city, this was the first time Yellow could remember leaving Philadelphia and he felt good about it. They passed a few small towns looking for other afterlights to submit to their cause, they found none it it didn't bother them much. For Rumor this was a vacation, a nice get away from the boredom and perils of every day life. For Yellow it was a promising adventure like the kinds he used to hear stories of in life. For Freak it was a boring waist of infinite time that didn't benefit her in the least.

"It's getting late!" groaned Freak, "Can't we stop for a rest?"

Freak was right about it getting late. The sky glowed pink in the west and glimmered with stars in the east. Everything around them was just a black silhouette against the magnificent sky.

Although Rumor and Yellow both knew the three of them could keep going through the night they decided to rest, mainly because they wanted a chance to take in the world around them.

The beautiful hills that they happened upon with nearly a day's walk were now black with the sunset. They laid down on the cobblestone road and watched the bats come out and do their acrobatics across the sky dipping a twirling to catch misquotes in their jaws.

"Despite everything, this is quite beautiful." Sighed Freak as she snuggled up closer to Rumor forgetting Yellow's presence.

Yellow sighed and smiled at them.

**End of the Road **

"We're here." Sam said, trying to prod Ollie awake.

She murmured a few things as she sat herself back up and looked out the windows. She saw a faded bustling city around her, despite it being in another world it looked familiar to her.

"Is this New York?" She asked.

"Yep." He said, "Now where did I put my handcuffs?" he said leaning into the back seat of the car.

Ollie chuckled thinking it was a joke until he immerged from his pile of stuff holding a shinning pair of unbreakable hand cuffs.

"Uh-uh. no." Said Ollie, "Who the hell loves handcuffs enough to send them into Everlost any way?" She said.

"Beats me, but I'm not just gonna let you run off." He said cuffing one of his wrist to hers as she struggled to keep him away.

Getting out of the car happened to be much harder then either of them had anticipated. First they pulled on each side forgetting about the handcuffs and Ollie found her self on her back on top of the gear shift. Sam looked back at her and rolled his eyes as she fumbled to regain some sort of balance. She crawled trough on her free hand and knees and carefully exited the car.

"Now c'mon it's only a few blocks." He said as he started off towards the World Trade Center.

Ollie has always hated New York City. The crowded bustle of people that just never seemed to end didn't suit her as well as it did to most. She hated getting whacked with the shopping bags of the high end women and the rudely yelling young men who pushed and shoved her around on the sidewalk without even realizing their folly. Walking through the tightly woven crowds of people she felt strangely above them. They could no longer undermine her and ignore her when she yelled; "Hey watch it!" no there was no need for that anymore, she had beaten them.

"Okay, here we are, the Twin Towers." Said Sam as they approached the buildings.

Ollie gaped up at the tall solemn boxes before her. She was young when the towers fell, to young to know what was going on. As she grew up she began to understand the wars that were started over the disaster and the reason airport security was so annoying. Seeing the towers like this was strange to her, like going back to a vague time before her memory was fully formed where things were easy and care free. She looked around at the base of the towers and saw a few children playing with jump ropes and some others with a soccer ball.

"Are these the kids who want an ecto-ripper?" whispered Ollie into Sam's ear.

"No but they know the guy who does." Grunted Sam.

The children turned their heads and recognized Sam, immediately their smiles widened and they dropped what they were doing and ran to him.

"Sammy! What did you bring us!" Chanted the younger ones.

"Yeah Samta Clause, what do you got?" Grinned some of the older ones.

"I don't have anything for any of you guys, just Nick, and stop calling me Samta!" Grunted Sam, "Is Nick here?"

"Yeah he's here." Shrugged a kid gripping a skate board, "He's on the top floor making a map or something. What do you have for him any ways?" He asked.

Sam didn't answer he just walked into the north tower where he knew Nick kept his study, although it was more just a room filled with stuff that had been collected over time.

As the walked in Ollie's eyes widened at the beautifully decorated lobby. She hardly moved her feet while Sam dragged her into an elevator.

"This place is great!" Said Ollie on the long ride up.

Ollie and Sam walked down a hallway decorated with crafts from young children and entered a room half way down.

A kid with reddish brown hair and a suit was leaning over his desk and scratching a pen to on a piece of paper, which seemed to be the back of a Polaroid picture. Above him many scraps of paper and even pieces of aluminum were taped up against a wall all taped together to create an unfinished map of the north east united states. He was so into his work that he didn't notice Sam and Ollie entering the room.

Sam cleared his throat to attain Nick's attention.

"Huh? Oh it's you Sam!" Said Nick as he stood up and walked towards them, "Who's your friend?"

"It's the ecto-ripper you wanted." Said Sam as he lifted up his hand cuffed hand.

"Hi I'm Ollie." She said sheepishly.

"And why is Ollie hand cuffed to you?" Nick asked Sam, cocking his head side ways.

"Duh, so that she doesn't escape?" Groaned Sam.

"Why did you bring her here by force?" Said Nick with concern.

"It's a bounty, that's how they work!" Said Sam frustratedly.

"You've completely misinterpreted that." Said Nick, "It was a job offer not a bounty when I said, 'I need an ecto-ripper to help out around here, I would be willing to pay a lot for their services.'. "

Sam looked furious.

"Unlock those right now!" Said Nick with an authority he rarely has to use.

Sam grumbled as he searched his pockets for the key to the hand cuffs and fumbled with the locks finally releasing Ollie.

"Woot! I'm free!" Said Ollie lifting her hands into the air.

"I'm so sorry about this misunderstanding" he said.

"Don't be!" Said Ollie, "If I'm not mistaken that job offer is still up right?"

"Yes of course if you want it the job's all yours." He said leaning back into his chair.

"Okay but first I have go back and get my friend in Philly, is that okay?" She asked"

"Yes that's perfectly fine, but why don't you pend the night here?"

Ollie looked out the windows at the bustling city below, it was late afternoon Ollie knew it would be night time before she reached Philadelphia and turned to accept Nick's offer.


End file.
